Reviews

Alastair Reynolds works on a big canvas, a canvas that spans
galaxies. The work he presents needs such a canvas since
the story he has to weave would be poorly served by anything
less. The book attempts to provide a window into a story
with larger than life characters, time Read more...

DISTANT THUNDERS is the fourth installment in the
Destoyermen series by Taylor Anderson. The story picks up
after the Allied defense of Baalkpan and the resulting
victory that halts the Grik advance. The good guys are
recuperating after battle and the planning for the future
campaigns to take the fight Read more...

INTO THE STORM is the first book in the "Destoryermen"
Trilogy by Taylor Anderson. It follows the events that
occur at the start of World War 2 in the Pacific on a US
Naval destroyer, the USS Walker. It's the opening days of
the war and things are not Read more...

I have to admit that I'm pretty jaded when it comes to
Science Fiction. I grew up reading my way through the
library shelves, moving from Asimov and Clarke to Pohl and
Zelazny. I have pretty high expectations these days since my
time for reading is limited so I Read more...

I've been enjoying Max Brooks' Zombie book -- The Zombie
Survival Guide for quite some time. It's one of those
books that resides on a coffee table and is fun to read at a
single pass or in random pieces. The zombie-verse created
in the "Zombie Read more...

IMPROBABLE follows the unlikely series of events that
transpire in the life of David Caine as he attempts to
juggle a gambling addiction, temporal lobe epilepsy and
savant like abilities in the field of statistics. Here's a
synopsis of the story without providing a spoiler: As a
result of Read more...

This read, much like candy, is one that is best in small
doses. Too much at one sitting leaves you feeling a bit
dizzy and unsure if you'll ever want to try it again. A
collection of bits and pieces of information, some from
printed sources and others from Read more...

I recently completed PARADIGM by Robert Taylor. The book
follows Nicholas Shepard and his wife, Cassandra, as they
try to piece together the mystery behind an ancient Egyptian
relic's ability to predict world financial markets and who
was willing to keep the secrets hidden by killing Nicholas'
brother, Alex Read more...

In my mind, science fiction books about time travel are a
dangerous business. The potential for either a disastrously
complex plot, full of paradox and gimmicky science is just
too easy for an author in which to become trapped. Stories
in this genre are some of my least favorite to Read more...

Books about books are generally dangerous territory for a
writer. Many times they seem to spiral into an overly
technical discussion of the author's favorite arcane genre
of literature. The writer cannot really help themselves --
they love a book and they want to share their devotion with
the world Read more...

ONE SHOT by Lee Child starts with what appears to be a
random, rush-hour sniper attack in a Midwestern town. Five
persons are gunned down by the coldly calculating murderer
before he slips away and blends in with the afternoon
commute.In spite of being a bit of a Read more...

THE DOUBLE EAGLE is book that, frankly, surprised me. James
Twining has managed to craft a very entertaining book that
balances Bond-esque adventure with several well developed
characters. While the first 10% of the book seems to wander
a bit as the author finds his way, the remaining 90 Read more...

IMPROBABLE follows the unlikely series of events that
transpire in the life of David Caine as he attempts to
juggle a gambling addiction, temporal lobe epilepsy and
savant like abilities in the field of statistics. Here's a
synopsis of the story without providing a spoiler: As a
result of Read more...

Alan Ewing

Some of my earliest memories are being
read to by my mother and sisters.
Looking back - I can never remember a
time when I wasn't able to read. While
growing up I lived less than a block
from the main county library and
devoured the science fiction and fantasy
sections literally by working from one
end of the shelves to the other. I also
discovered the library's non-fiction
section devoted to UFO's, Bigfoot and
the Loch Ness Monster - further feeding
an already active imagination.

After completing my Master's of Science
I was pretty burned out on reading
anything and fell out of the habit of
reading for pleasure. I am currently
employed in the telecom industry in
North Texas and my job requires reading
large quantities of dry industry
standards documents and a great deal of
travel. As a way to help pass the time
on long flights I've rediscovered
reading for fun. My tastes still run to
the science fiction and fantasy genres,
but I've also discovered enjoyment in a
good mystery and an occasional thriller.